Nehemiah Challenge, Part 2

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.”

Proverbs 16:3 (NIV)

I started my Nehemiah Challenge last week and quickly discovered without a plan, I could not get much accomplished. Nehemiah had a plan to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. I realized, to be successful with my decluttering, I, too, needed a plan.

First, I checked out the areas I wanted to tackle; bedrooms, bathrooms, living room, dining room, kitchen, front porch, back porch, laundry room and pantry. Then, I got my calendar and counted out fifty-two (52) days from the day I started. I started, October 26, 2020, fifty-two (52) days later is December 16, 2020, my ending day.

Next, I wanted to see how much time I could spend on each room to complete all twelve (12) areas. First, I eliminated all the Sundays from my fifty-two (52) day count.  I did not want to spend Sundays decluttering.  I want to spend Sundays, listening to online church service, enjoying a delicious family meal and binge watching Hallmark Christmas movies. There are seven (7) Sundays during this fifty-two (52) day challenge, so I subtracted those seven (7) days from the fifty-two (52) day count; leaving me forty-five (45) days to actually work. Then, I divided forty-five (45) days by the twelve (12) areas I wanted to declutter; giving me approximately three (3) days each for twelve (12) areas.  Spending three (3) days on each area works well for me; I can always adjust if necessary.  I have nine (9)  days remaining to cover anything I missed or had to stop due to appointments and life (stuff always happens once you have a plan).

Also, I treat my decluttering like a job.  I work from 11am – 4pm.  I add music, my diffuser filled with energizing essential oils such as orange, lemon, rosemary, peppermint. This seems to reduce the stress I feel when I am trying to figure out what to do with all the stuff.  My stress comes from getting rid of stuff I am attached to even when it no longer makes sense to hold on to it.  I pray about this.  Stopping at 4:00pm gives me time to relax and then fix dinner.

That is it.  I hope this helps anyone joining me on this Challenge. I realize many people have to work and do not have this much time to invest in decluttering.  Try to start with any time you can steal; even if it’s five (5) minutes.  For me, the most important actions were starting, planning and starting again.

 If you have any suggestions, please let me know.  This is definitely a work in progress.

Dear Lord, give me  focus, motivation, and energy to get this decluttering done one area at a time.  I know divine order is in your plan; chaos is not.  Give me the strength to get rid of things that no longer serve me nor my family. God, I need Your power, determination, and perseverance to get me through this process. Thank you, Father.  Amen, Amen, Amen!